Here is metric info for your students from someone who works in 
biotechnology/pharmaceuticals. 

We are 99.99% + metric. We use metric-only in research laboratories. We use 
metric-only in drug manufacturing. We use metric-only in Quality Control. We 
use metric-only in clinical trials. There have only been 2 places where I have 
seen legacy units used (only at our older US sites):

1.  For environmental monitoring of the HVAC/HEPA systems in clean rooms, some 
of the older Non-Viable Particulates (NVP) monitoring instruments have air 
sample volume in ft3. (As these are retired they are replaced with ones that 
sample only in m3). We have in our global SOP's minimum sample volume for NVP 
as 1 m3. There is a footnote in our SOP's that when using one of the older 
samplers, take a sample volume of 35 ft3. All sample results are reported as 
(Particulates >= 0.5 micrometers) / m3 or (Particulates >= 5.0 micrometers) / m3

2. Occasional bulk materials used in cleaning manufacturing tanks are sometimes 
purchased from a US vendor, so a 55-gallon drum of 0.5 N NaOH is not unheard 
of. (Metric-measured aliquots are taken from these drums, so we don't really 
"use" the 55-gallons size, it's just the way it is sold to us).

That's about the only imperial you see at a pharmaceutical company. 

Bottom line: if your students want to pursue a career in 
biotechnology/pharmaceuticals, they need to be fluent in metric, and can skip 
imperial.

Hope this helps.

--
Scott Hudnall

On Mar 13, 2013, at 9:51, Metric Rules Info <[email protected]> wrote:

> That would be great!!! I need additional manufacturing data to better 
> estimate the potential occupational paths of our K-12 students. I am always 
> trying to answer the question, how many occupations, in this country, 
> primarily work with SI units? 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Mar 13, 2013, at 7:12 AM, "[email protected] " <[email protected]> 
> wrote:
> 
>> Oh, this discussion got me to thinking the next industry expo that we have 
>> here, that I should attend, even though I am no longer working as a 
>> toolmaker, and ask every vendor, if they are working in and or only Metric, 
>> and if not, why. Thats Metric with a capital M, we do not want to confuse 
>> with metric, the math definition..... ; )
>> 
>> Bruce E. Arkwright, Jr
>> Erie PA
>> Linux and Metric User and Enforcer
>> 
>> 
>> I will only invest in nukes that are 150 gigameters away. How much solar 
>> energy have you collected today?
>> Id put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope 
>> we dont have to wait til oil and coal run out before we tackle that. I wish 
>> I had a few more years left. -- Thomas Edison♽☯♑
> 

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